Coco Gauff said to have an ongoing problem which is ‘just unheard of’ as her chances at the French Open are rated
Coco Gauff Faces Ongoing Serve Struggles Ahead of French Open
Coco Gauff began 2025 on a high note, leading Team USA to United Cup victory in January. She looked primed for a strong showing at the Australian Open but was halted in the quarterfinals by Paula Badosa. Since then, Gauff’s form has dipped significantly, struggling during the Middle East and North American hard court swings. With the clay court season ahead, the 21-year-old has much to work on.
Before the Indian Wells Masters, Gauff was on a three-match losing streak, which included setbacks in Melbourne, Qatar, and Dubai. Her losses continued with defeats to Belinda Bencic at Indian Wells and Magda Linette in Miami. The crucial issue for Gauff during these losses was her serve, which let her down at pivotal moments. In her defeat to Linette, Gauff recorded a shocking 12 double faults.
Former doubles champion Rennae Stubbs, in a candid assessment on her podcast, noted that Gauff’s serve remains a significant flaw. Stubbs criticized Gauff’s technique, particularly her inconsistent ball toss, wrong grip, and poor elbow positioning, which could haunt her unless addressed.
“Bad technique breaks down under pressure,” Stubbs warned, referencing advice from tennis legend Billie Jean King. “Coco has to fix these issues, or her serve will continue to be a problem in matches.”
With the French Open approaching, Gauff’s focus is now on the clay court season. Despite her serving challenges, Gauff has shown her potential on the surface, making the French Open final in 2022, where she lost to Iga Świątek.
Stubbs remains optimistic about Gauff’s chances on clay, suggesting that the slower surface could help mitigate her serving problems. “On clay, she doesn’t need to go for big first serves,” Stubbs said. “Her baseline game is strong enough, and if she’s going to win another Grand Slam, clay might be her best bet.”
As Gauff gears up for Roland Garros, fans and experts alike are hopeful she can turn things around and make another deep run at the prestigious event.
